This Heirloom Tomato Salad with a Quick Labneh is an amazing summer dish that highlights the best of in season tomatoes! It's the perfect side.

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How to make this recipe

Prepare labneh by putting a cheesecloth over a wire strainer. Add Greek yogurt to strainer and cheesecloth and sit over a large bowl and strain for up to 24 hours to squeeze out as much liquid possible.
After it has a bit of the labneh into the middle of a large pasta bowl, and sprinkle with spices, pistachios, and a drizzle of olive oil and honey.
Mix all the ingredients for the citrus dressing together, and cut tomatoes in half.
Arrange the tomatoes all around the labneh, and pour a tiny amount of dressing overtop of the tomatoes.
Sprinkle with sprouts, and serve with sesame bread!

Ingredients and substitutions

Labneh

Greek yogurt – it is recommended to use whole-milk plain Greek yogurt to get the best results. However, you can use low-fat Greek yogurt as well.
Sesame seeds – if available, use sumac or zaatar spice instead of the sesame, cumin and coriander.
Cumin – see substitution notes above.
Coriander – see substitution notes above.
Salt & pepper (to taste)
Olive oil – it is recommended to use an extra-virgin olive oil. If you don’t have any on hand use grapeseed oil or avocado oil.
Honey – maple syrup is a great alternative to honey
Pistachios (chopped pistachio to garnish)

Salad

Heirloom tomatoes – use mini heirloom tomatoes, grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes for the best texture and taste
Sprouts – for the best results use alfalfa sprouts, mung bean sprouts, or lentil sprouts

Citrus dressing

Olive oil – any neutral olive oil can be used to substitute olive oil
Orange juice – fresh squeezed orange juice is recommended. Otherwise bottled orange juice can also be used.
Lemon – use fresh or bottled lemon or lime juice
Balsamic vinegar – apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar can also be used
Honey – maple syrup can also be used to sweeten the dressing and offset the acidity
Salt & pepper (to taste)

What is labneh?

Labneh is a popular Middle Eastern yogurt/cheese dip. It's extra creamy, flavourful and resembles cheese while having a tangy yogurt taste. Labneh is used in Middle Eastern dishes as a dip similarly to hummus or baba ghanoush for pita bread, veggies or smoked salmon. You can also simply use it as a side dish to a full meal. To take labneh to the next level, garnish it with similar toppings that are used to garnish hummus, such as:

olive oil
honey
spices (ex: zaatar, sumac, cumin, etc.)
nuts and seeds
roasted garlic
etc.

What if you don't have a cheesecloth?

The cheesecloth is recommended to use to help drain the yogurt of its whey to make and thicken the labneh. The cheesecloth allows for the liquid to drain through without any of the yogurt draining through the mesh sieve. If you don't have a cheesecloth, the next best thing to use is a kitchen towel. A kitchen towel as the protective layer between the yogurt and the strainer will keep the yogurt in place while allowing any excess liquid to drain through.

Storing the leftover salad

Store this salad in the fridge for up to three days. To store this salad, I recommend keeping the tomatoes and dressing separately from the labneh and combining all the ingredients together when ready to enjoy. This keeps the labneh and tomatoes fresh while also allowing you to have the option to use the labneh for other dishes if you'd like. Since this is a cold salad, this dish doesn't need to be reheated. Easily assemble and enjoy straight from the fridge!

More easy salad recipes

Balsamic grilled chicken and arugula salad
Strawberry spinach salad with chicken
Grilled chicken, avocado and BLT salad

Meal prep tools

This is the cheesecloth I use to strain the Greek yogurt
Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you would like to store the salad for later
I like this salad dressing shaker to make homemade dressings easier

Heirloom Tomato Salad with a Quick Labneh